LoginU.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said she will support job creation through gaming in Florida, as voters in Maine said no to two ballot questions that would have expanded gambling in the state as a way to get more people back to work.
On a recent visit to Florida to tout job creation, Solis told the Sun Sentinel's editorial board she is "supportive" of job creation in the state through two casino expansions, if the jobs are good-paying and employ local residents.
State lawmakers have proposed legislation that would expand gambling in the state in order to create positions for Florida's approximately 984,000 jobless. Solis said all too often, contractors bring in more workers from other states when local construction projects get underway.
In Maine, voters have rejected proposed expansion of legalized gambling in the state, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Two ballot questions that would have raised the number of casinos in the state from two to five were shot down by residents in recent elections.
Supporters said the referendums would have created hundreds of jobs, on top of funding for a number of other economic development projects.